Manager Nathan Jones is well acquainted with Saturday’s opponents Brighton & Hove Albion, having served as a player, first-team coach, assistant manager and caretaker manager on the south coast before taking the reins at Kenilworth Road in 2016.
Jones’ association with the Hatters began in 1995 when he joined Luton from Welsh club Merthyr Tydfil before moving to Spanish side Badajoz in the same year, having failed to make an appearance at Kenilworth Road.
The Welshman eventually joined Brighton in 2000, helping the Seagulls to win back-to-back promotions to England’s second tier before being relegated from the first division on the final day of the 2002/03 season.
Jones would go on to amass 183 appearances on the South coast before moving to Yeovil Town in 2005, returning to the Amex Stadium eight years later as assistant coach under Oscar Garcia before being appointed first-team coach under Sami Hyypia in 2013.
It was at Brighton that Jones got his first experience in management, taking charge as caretaker in December 2014 for two games following Hyypia’s departure, drawing 2-2 with Reading and beating Fulham 2-0 at Craven Cottage with the Seagulls sitting in the relegation zone.
Chris Hughton was appointed manager on New Year’s Eve, with Jones undergoing spells as assistant manager and first-team coach before joining the Hatters as manager in January 2016, with the Town narrowly missing out on a spot in the play-offs and suffering play-off heartbreak the following year.
The Hatters would go on to win promotion from League Two the following year and after a strong start to their League One campaign, Luton’s manager moved to Stoke City in 2019 before returning to Kenilworth Road in 2020, hauling Luton to Championship survival and a strong 12th placed finish the following season.